Forgotten Daughters
A dark, creepy story inspired by Betwixt's comment on Arodnap doing a Killing Joke / Death of The Family type scenario after Inferno's death - this involves Rose (with Red's permission) and is not for everyone, caution is to be made when reading this and I hope it still comes off as a good story despite some of the material within. This is set a few months before Paper Hearts - as such Arodnap is still in her "Watcher" stage and ethereal but this will make it all the more disturbing.. you've been warned. Forgotten Daughters Part I The story began late one night in the magical realm of Wonderland - within the vast forests that surrounded the Kingdom formerly belonging Red, now under the protection of King Equis until Sangria could be trusted with ruling over the realm. A woman dressed in red sat in a clearing alone, holding a piece of paper and looking decidely on edge - as she glanced down at the paper she sighed.. this was stupid, dangerous.. yet she had no choice now.. she had to know the truth.. "So you got my invite, Miss Rose? How nice, I don't think you got a chance to speak to me when I was staying with you all those years back.. at least not the real me.. not that pathetic little child you tried to nurse back to health.." a dark voice spoke from the edge of the clearing, a shadowy being resembling a ghostly little girl with long golden hair that covered her face appearing, hovering just enough that her toes barely touched the ground. "What do you want? haven't you caused enough suffering?" Rose frowned, trying to mask the fear she developed in the presence of this spectre - memories of the past flooding back. "Suffering? Who says I cause suffering? do you think I go out of my way to hurt people? you think I'm evil? I'm not evil - I'm just.. me.. wherever I go, people die.. people get hurt.. doesn't make me bad.. no more than you are bad for coming here, alone, to speak with me.." the ghostly girl replied, the grass beginning to wither away in a patch around her feet, as if life itself simply faded in her presence. "When I read the letter I almost didn't - yet I don't want you to come back.. I'm doing what I have to do to protect them from you.. so please, Arodnap, just tell me what you want from me so we can end this nightmare.." Rose said, staring at the girl as if ready for anything. "Well, Miss Rose.. I want to talk to you about something important - you see ever since Inferno died I've been having a real hard time controlling myself.. it's not healthy.. I don't want to be a monster, I don't want to end up killing myself.. don't you see? I'm admiting something serious now.. I may be going crazy.. I need you to help me, Miss Rose.." Arodnap said, an ethereal breeze blowing at her hair and the "cloak" she seemed to be wearing revealed itself to be a pair of large draconic wings. "..Why would I help someone like you? After everything you did? You betrayed us - you're sick.." Rose said angrily, standing up and shaking as she glared over at Arodnap, who continued to float in place. "That's right, Miss Rose, I'm sick.. I know that now.. I need you to help me.. don't you see? I'm not well.. I don't understand.. please.. you have to understand what it's like to be a forgotten daughter.." 'Arodnap said in turn, causing Rose to suddenly freeze, her eyes growing wide as she suddenly turned away. '"See? I knew it was true.. you and me, we aren't so different.. I was the first, just like you, then my mother found other children.. she forgot about me.. that's when the shadows started getting darker and the voices started getting louder.. you've heard the same voices, haven't you Miss Rose? the voices only we forgotten daughters hear.." Arodnap continues. "You're insane.." Rose growled, turning as if to leave but finding herself frozen in a mixture of fear, anger and morbid curiosity - something was very wrong yet she couldn't help hearing some truth in Arodnap's words, no matter how mad they were. "Mr. Arbiter used to say that, I always thought he was just playing - you know, playing the big "hero" for my little Inferno.. looking back, maybe he was serious.. Oh well, doesn't matter now does it? I'm mad, you're mad - we're all mad here, Miss Rose.." Arodnap comments, finally brushing her hair away from her face to reveal grey pelt: a sign of Pegacorn heritage, in addition to this were a pair of haunting blue eyes and a smile that hid sharp fangs beneath. "ENOUGH!" Rose finally snapped, turning around and clenching her fists - regretting that she had left her weapons behind, feeling decidely vulnerable and foolish for ever accepting the invitation, yet she was now on the last thread of her patience as her anger overrode her fear. "You're nothing but a psychotic monster, a demon - you're not even alive anymore yet you haunt us.. I'm nothing like you and you were a fool to bring me here and expect me to listen to your idiocy.. Inferno is dead, you have no reason to even be here anymore.. you hear me, Arodnap? He's dead.. now leave us alone!". Arodnap's eyes narrowed as she listened to Rose, her smile fading as she clenched her own fists - sparks of ghostly red lightning began to spark over her pelt as she growled audibly, as if holding back.. then she closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths before opening them again, her smile returning as she shook her head and snorted slightly, a trait of Pegacorns akin to their equine ancestors. "It's all went wrong.. he was meant to be the last to die.. yet life goes on.. but this isn't about him, not just now, right now it's about us, Miss Rose, it's about mothers and daughters.. you were loved once, just like me, she took you everywhere.. held you in her arms and told you that you'd always be special.. my mother did all that and more.. then as soon as she found someone better she barely even looked my way..". "I'm still loved.. you would be too, as sick as you are.. don't you see? your mother may of abandoned you Arodnap but you abandoned life itself.. my mother gave up on me but I found a new family, one you almost tore away from me, yet we still stand strong.. you could of had a family too.. you could of been loved.. you just didn't want to be.." Rose replied. Arodnap suddenly lost control and flew forward, despite her ethereal nature she grabbed at Rose's throat and semisolid air clenched around it, lifting Rose off the ground as she struggled - her toes barely touching the ground as she was choked, Arodnap's eyes blazing with fury as she snarled: "DON'T YOU EVER SPEAK TO ME LIKE THAT!" Rose gasped as Arodnap dropped her to the ground and turned away from her, hair falling back over her face as she bowed her head: "..All I ever wanted was for him to love me.. I was his big sister, his protector.. I could of been so much more.. oh I know what you're thinking: that's disgusting, insane.. so what? you people don't know what love is.. you think your new "family" loves you? All they do is distract you from the fact you're hiding in some forsaken forest like an animal while your sister is taking your place on the throne..". Rose caught her breath and got shakily to her feet, rubbing her neck as she glared at Arodnap from behind: "..Him? I thought this was about you and me? see, Arodnap? you're predictable and sad, an obsessed and perverted madwoman unable to live without the man she terrorized for so many years.. I may not of known Inferno Pendragon well but I know that he was not your brother.. He was a good man, if flawed.. Maybe that's what you truly desire, Arodnap.. the good in him that you never had.. that you don't deserve..". "You're beginning to get me angry, Miss Rose and with me that's a very bad thing.." 'Arodnap growled in response, still looking away but lifting her head. "You don't scare me, not anymore.." Rose replied, standing her ground despite the fact she could feel her heart beating faster every moment. '"You're a terrible liar, Miss Rose - doesn't matter anyway.. It's time to listen to a story.." Arodnap said. "No, no more -" Rose began only to find herself grabbed from all sides by terrifying demonic babies with torn wings, the creatures wrapped dark tendrils of semisolid shadow around her and despite her struggling she soon collapsed onto her knees, eyes growing wide as Arodnap simply stood facing away from her and the demonic intruders. "This is the story of how I came to be, Miss Rose.. you should be grateful.. this is a story so very few know.. I want you to hear it so you can see.. we aren't so different.." Arodnap said, her tone very serious as the demonic creatures continued to swarm around Rose, preventing any chance of escape as they chittered madly to each other. Part II "It was so long ago, Miss Red, before Avalon or the Red Kingdom.. back when humans were just starting to evolve - I don't remember why or how but I was soon an orphan in a world where life was, as a wise man once said, brutish and short..". The scene shifts to a prehistoric backdrop as an infant lays in a cave crying, the darkness of the cave obscuring all light until a pair of large eyes shone out, looking over the infant before an equally large hand reached out and gently lifted the child, spreading gigantic wings as the figure emerged from the cave - a terrifying dragon: yet holding the infant steady as it flew into the sky, which was in a state of twilight. "..I would of died in that cave, alone and afraid.. had she not found me.. Kaosa, the taker of orphans, the Twilight Queen.. I should of been afraid but as terrible as the dragons have come to be in the eyes of humanity they were now my family.. Kaosa was my mother and I was her beloved daughter.. she named me.. Arodnap..". The scene shows the infant as she grows into a young girl, her human features gradually changing with exposure to an alien landscape that was in eternal twilight - her skin becoming grey and her ears becoming more elfin, her teeth forming into little fangs but her haunting blue eyes remaining relatively unchanged. "..I grew up in the Twilight Realm, loved and cared for.. I shed my humanity and became part of the Twilight Dragons.. yet it wasn't meant to last.. that's the thing about love, Rose, it is really just an illusion and sooner or later everyone wakes up.. it took me several centuries.. how long shall it take you?". The scene shifts to show an older Arodnap watching as Kaosa begins to gather more children of varied ages, standing by her adoptive mother's side as the dragon raised the children - some grew to become similar to Arodnap in appearance but many others degenerated into demonic cherub-like creatures. "..the Twilight Force can be cruel, devolving those who can not control it into monsters.. Kaosa named them Twilight Cherubs, although they were failures to the Twilight Force my mother tried her best to raise them but they were vicious, uncontrollable.. what Kaosa can not control, she casts out.. they were the first to learn this and I watched as she banished those Cherubs into the wild - I asked her why it had to be that way, she never answered..". The scene now shifts to show an entire realm filled with dragons and one of these great beasts was Arodnap herself, now laying in a corner as she watched Kaosa gathering more children - a look of obvious resentment was now in Arodnap's eyes as she watched the children slowly change as she had done so many centuries ago. "I lost count of how long it was before I started resenting the children my mother kept bringing to the Twilight Realm, of how she would always care for them yet ignored me.. a daughter is useless when she grows up.. all I could do was watch and remember all the kind words Kaosa once said to me.. I learned that kind words are only really useful for getting what you want, once you have what you desire kindness has no purpose..". The scene shifts once more to show Arodnap, back in her more humanoid form, sitting alone in a forest clearing at night - staring into a campfire as Kaosa flew overhead, disappearing over a hillside view. "Kaosa rarely bothered to check if I was alive, let alone if I was obeying her rules - so when she went to Avalon on some "grand scheme" I left the Twilight Realm and decided to rest in the forest.. to think on how far things had fallen.. I lit a fire and stared into the flames, to try and make sense of it all.. then it happened..". The scene shows Arodnap staring into the campfire, the flames forming strange images as the flames turn dark, alien voices chitter all around her as her expression changes slowly - a grin spreading over her face, growing larger and larger as she stared deeper into the flames.. "..the Watchers.. they danced.. they danced.. the Watchers.. they sang.. they sang..". "You're insane.." Rose suddenly said, interrupting the story as the scene shifted back to the present - Arodnap glowering as the Twilight Imps continued to hold Rose in place. "..Rude.. Miss Rose.. no matter, the rest of the story doesn't matter - that was the night everything changed.. that was the night I decided to stop caring about being a good daughter and decided that if I was going to destroy everything Kaosa loved.. just because I could.." 'Arodnap said. Rose continued to struggle as Arodnap turned once more, the Twilight Cherubs keeping Rose in place as the clearing transformed - thorny vines and twisted tree-branches forming walls all around the area as Arodnap spoke once more: '"..though I soon learned there was nothing that Kaosa truly loved.. so I decided I'd just destroy everything.. now, Miss Rose.. it's time for you to make your own choice..". Part III "You.. won't..win.." Rose snarled as thorny vines burst out of the ground and wrapped around her arms and legs, cutting into her skin as the Twilight Cherubs chittered madly and flew over to Arodnap, who grinned widely as she spread her wings out. "Of course I will!" Arodnap chuckled, her eyes growing brightly as the vines began to tighten, Rose letting out a cry of pain and anger as she struggled in vain. "Though the best kind of victory is the one where everyone loses, wouldn't you agree? Don't you understand anything? I'm a lost daughter.. forgotten.. tossed aside.. so are you - that means you can be just like me.. all it takes is a little pressure, a little twist or tug.. that's what separates the "good" from the "bad" - a push..". "..I'll never be like you.." Rose snarled, despite the pain, holding her ground yet feeling tears run down her cheeks, blood trickling down her arms and legs. "Not with an attitude like that you won't - come on Rose, so what if your mother left you to rot in a forest? so what if she's replaced you with a half-Pegacorn brat? I mean, it's not like you can do anything about it.. oh wait.. you can.." Arodnap replied, watching as Rose struggled - a few Twilight Cherubs climbing up her legs but she paid no heed, her eyes continuing to glow brightly. Rose simply growled, yet kept silent, glaring at Arodnap - who smirked a little and created a perverse crown with smouldering jewels, living vines placing the crown on Rose's head as Arodnap spoke. "You can get Sangria for me.. sure she's old now.. heck, some would say she's *too* old.. but she's still my brother's daughter, which means she belongs to me.. so what do you say, Miss Rose? you bring me the girl who stole your destiny and I'll make sure you have your mother's throne.. you and Mr. Jester can live like Royalty instead of outlaws..". "Never! I'd never give Sangria to you - she's my sister.. you twisted, evil bitch.. you don't understand anything about love, do you? you can't understand it.. I don't care if my mother abandoned me.. I don't care if she hates me.. I don't even care if she loves Sangria more than me.. Sangria's still my sister and I love her.." Rose replied, defiantly spitting at Arodnap as the vines continued to cut into her arms and legs, the crown flopping over her eyes as she tried to shake it off. "..I liked you better when you had that axe, Miss Rose - right now you sound like some pathetic relic.. talking about love and loyalty as if you even knew what those things meant.. I love my brother, I will *always* love him.. that's why I kill everyone he ever cared about.. they don't deserve him.. they can't possibly love him like I do.. not that you could understand what I'm talking about, you psychopathic madwoman.." Arodnap replied, her smile fading as she extended a hand, which glowed a faint red - Rose struggling as an invisible force clutched around her neck and began to choke her, the crown falling to the ground and shattering as sharp thorns continued to cut into her arms and legs. "..but this isn't about him, I already said that.. this is about you and me.. you'll see, Miss Rose.. a shadow is coming - one that will eclipse all things.. when that shadow comes we'll see how far "love" can get you.. keep Sangria.. sooner or later she'll come to me.. she's a Pendragon, I'm a Pendragon.. we have a funny way of meeting each other.. enjoy your denial while you can, Miss Rose.. I know I did.. eventually you'll wake up and realize life's just one cruel joke - I learned to laugh at it.. someday you will too.." 'Arodnap said, releasing her "grip" as she disappeared into the shadows, insane laughter following as the area returned to normal - the vines and Cherubs vanishing alongside Arodnap as Rose was left alone with only her wounds reminding her of the recent visitation. "..I'm nothing like you.. I'm.. n-nothing.. l-like.." Rose began, then broke into tears as memories began to flood back - of her own actions under the Vorpal Axe, how she had attacked her own mother and almost destroyed the world.. she had tried to blame it on the Dormouse, on the Hatter.. yet it was her hatred, her thirst for vengeance that had truly done it. As Rose continued to cry a horrible realization came to her mind.. Arodnap was right.. life was a cruel joke - yet as Rose continued to remember she saw how her mother reached to her, how together they had overcome the Hatter.. Red wasn't like Kaosa, Rose realized, she would never abandon her.. yet as she looked at the forest around her she began to shed more tears as she realized that was the joke: she wasn't a forgotten daughter.. Red had never abandoned her.. she was Rose Red.. daughter of the Bloody Red Queen.. this was how she was all a part of a story - she was playing her role and her mother was doing the same. Rose slowly got to her feet and looked around as the realization sank in.. all of her world was a fairy tale and none of the beings in it had control over themselves, something was controlling them.. ''"..you never wanted to give me up, did you mother? something made you do it.. the same thing that made me pick up that Vorpal Axe.. it had us fight the Hatter.. it had Arodnap arrive and even now it makes sure we do what it wants.." Rose thought. "..yet what happens to us when the being that controls us gets bored of us? what will become of our home when the story comes to an end, as all stories must?" Rose continued to think, a cool breeze causing her to shake as she finally left the clearing. "..I wish Jack was here, Red always said he knew what to do.. I never even met him but if ever this world needed a hero it's now - Jack was the best.. I wonder what he'd of thought of me, his daughter.." Rose thought, heading deeper into the forest and disappearing into the night. As Rose left the clearing a pair of glowing eyes appeared in the sky above, ravens continuing to circle the area: ''"Clever girl.. you finally figured it out.. even Arodnap couldn't figure it out - you may be Red's daughter but in the end you are so much more.. I knew you could face Arodnap's little game, that you wouldn't break even when tempted to betray your little sister.. I knew you'd make your daddy proud.. because, this is my story now..'". -END- Category:Grimdark Category:Fantasy Category:Short Stories Category:Inferno-Pendragon Category:Origin Stories Category:Finished Stories